Machine for making ice cubes



1F 17, 1935. E FOWLER 2,024,517

MACHINE FOR MAKING ICE CUBES v Filed June 15, 19 34 5 Sheets-Sheet lDec. 17, 1935, E. E. FOWLER MACHINE FOR MAKING ICE CUBES Filed June 15,1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 17, 1935. E. E. FOWLER MACk IINE .FOR MAKINGICE CUBES Filed June 15, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 1366- 1935- E. E. FOWLERMACHINE FOR MAKING ICE CUBES 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 15, 1934 13'.J7! Fawler Dec. 17, 1935. E, E, FOWLER I 2,024,517

MACHINE FOR MAKING ICE CUBES Filed June 15, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 5Patented Dec. 17, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,024,517 MAcinNE FORMAKING ICE 'ciiBEs EverettE. Fowler, New York, N-. Y. Application June15, 1934, Serial No. 730,813 G OIaiins. (c1. 143 3s) This inventionrelates to amachine adapted to produce ice cubes of small dimensionsfrom large, full size blocks of ice such as arecommo-nly produced andwhich generally weigh up to three or four hundred pounds each.

It-is an object of the invention to provide a machine which iscompletely automatic.

A, further object is to provide a machine through which the ice willtravel continuously and automatically, the large blocks of ice beingdirected thereinto at one point and the formed cubes being deliveredtherefrom at another point without stopping or retarding the movement ofthe ice at anytime.

A still further object is to provide separate gangs of saws mounted forreciprocation whereby the blocks of ice, as advanced into the machine,will first be cutinto'parallel slabs which subsequently will be dividedto form tongues from which the cubes are to be cut.

Another object is to provide a out-off device for dividing the formedtongues into cubes, said cut-off device being adapted to advance withthe ice, cut off cubes of predetermined sizes during the advancement ofthe ice, and subsequently return to itsinitial position relative'to theice block preparatory to repeating the severing operation.

Another object is to provide a machine of this character which producesminimum-waste in the cutting operation, furnishes cubes in quantitiesheretofore impossible, and eliminates the accident hazards now existingwith present types'of machines.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details ofconstruction and combinations of .partshereinafter'more fully describedand pointed out in the claims it being understood that changes may bemade in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing fromthe spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of theinventionhas beenshown.

In said drawings 7 Figure l is'a plan view of themachine, parts beingshown in section.

'Figure 2' is a front elevation thereof.

Figure 3 is a side elevation, parts being shown in section.

Figure 4 is an elevation of the grid and the "cut-off device cooperatingtherewith.

Figure 5 is a vertical section through a portion of the grid, the sawsof the horizontal gang being shown in section andv a portion of thevertical gang of saws being shown in elevation. Figure 6 is a section online 6'6, Figure 5. Figure 7 is an enlarged transverse section throughthe frame of one of the gangs of saws, a 5. saw therein being shown inelevation. Figure 8 is a section on line 8-8, Figure 7,

portions of the saws and their attaching means a longitudinal shaft 5 sothat all of the rolls will be rotated simultaneously in the samedirection and at the same speed. These rolls are adapted to support andfeed large blocks of ice one of which has been indicated by broken linesat I 5 and these blocks can be placed end to end and fed continuouslyinto and along the machine during the formation of the cubes.

A motor has been indicated generally at 6 and is adapted to transmitmotion through speed 30 reducing mechanism I to a shaft 8 from whichpower can be transmitted in any suitable mannor, as by chain andsprocket mechanism 9 or the like to another speed reducer I0 which, inturn, drives through gears II and I2 to the 35 shaft 5. Arranged on theside'portions of the frame I are standards l3 each of which has a slotI4 in its upper end for receiving the necks l5 of presser rolls l6.Springs I! which are connected 40- -to the standards l3 are joined attheir upper ends to the necks in such a manner as not to interfere withthe rotation of rolls l6 but nevertheless exert a constant pullthereupon so that these rolls will frictionally engage the top sur- 45face of a block of ice I and hold the block firmly to the feed rolls 2-,thereby to insure correct movement of the ice block when the rolls 2are. actuated.

At one end of the ice block conveyor formed 50 by the rolls 2 and thepresser rolls l6 are stationary guides H3 in which are slidably mountedside rods l9 connected by upper and lower cross bars 2!], thereby toform a saw frame mounted for vertical right line movement. To eachof'the 55 cross bars is secured a series of threaded stems 2| each ofwhich is provided at one end with a forked block 22. Each block has atransverse slot 23 extending thereinto and provided with an enlargementor seat 24. The blocks 22 are adapted to contact at their side faces asshown particularly in Figure 8 and, as shown in Figure 7, one group ofthese blocks can be held tightly to the adjacent cross bar 29 by nuts 25engaging the stems 2|.

Parallel ice saws 26 forming a vertical gang, are seated at their endswithin the slotted blocks 22 to which they are detachably connected bypins 21 which are arranged in the slots 23 and bear upon the seats 24.By means of nuts 28 one set of blocks 22 can be drawn toward theadjacent cross bar 20 for the purpose of pulling through gears 35 to avertical shaft 35.

upon the engaged saws 26 and holding them taut.

,Any desired number of these vertical saws can be employed, dependingupon the size of the block to be converted into cubes and upon the sizeof the cubes to be produced.

Another set of guides is located adjacent the ice block conveyor asshown at 29 and these guides are slidably engaged by the top and bottomrods 36 of a horizontal frame, the said rods being connected by bars 31similar to the bars 20 and similarly connected to a gang of horizontalsaws 32. The saws 32 are extended in planes at right angles to theplanes occupied by the saws 26 and the two gangs of saws are arrangedclose together, the vertical gang 26 being interposed between the iceblock conveyor and the horizontal gang of saws 32. It is to beunderstood of course that the number of saws 32 employed will dependupon the size of the ice block to be cut and the size of the cubes to beproduced.

The mechanism for reciprocating the two gangs of saws is driven by motor6. It includes gears 33 for transmitting motion from shaft 8 to a shaft34 which, in turn, transmits motion This vertical shaft, in turn,transmits motion through meshing gears 31 to a shaft 38 having gears 39for transmitting motion to a shaft 40.

Shaft 34 has a disk 4| which rotates therewith and this disk is adaptedto transmit motion through a pitman 42 to a cross bar 43 secured to therods 30 of the horizontal gang of saws. Another disk 44 is secured toshaft 40 and is adapted to transmit motion through a pitman 45 to across bar 46 secured to the rods 19 of the vertical gang of saws.

A grid of novel construction is arranged adjacent to the gangs of saws,both gangs being located between the grid and the ice block conveyor.This grid is in the form of a rectangular frame 41 divided by verticaland horizontal partitions 48 into cells or passages each of which is ofsuch size as to receive a tongue of ice which has been produced bythesaws. Spacing tongues 49 are extended forwardly from the verticalpartitions in the grid as shown particularly in Figures 5 and 6, thesetongues being located directly in line with the saws 26 of the verticalgang and being spaced apart so as to receive the horizontal saws 32between them. Thus the tongues 49 can be extended close to the backs ofthe vertical saws 26.

The shaft 5 is adapted to transmit motion through a clutch 50 to a shaft5| and a gear 52 on said shaft is slidably engaged by and meshes withanother gear 53 which is secured to a shaft 54 slidable and rotatablewithin bearings 55 and 56. A stationary cam 51 is secured to or formedon the bearing 55 and another cam 58 is secured to and moves with shaft54. A spring 59 mounted on shaft 54 and interposed between cam 58 andbar 56 serves to hold the two cams constantly in contact.

A large disk 60 is secured to and rotates with shaft 54 and carries anelectric motor 61 or the like which is counter-balanced by a weight 62.The shaft 63 of this motor projects through the disk 60 and carries acircular saw 64 which is spaced from the disk and which is of a diametergreater than the maximum vertical dimension of the grid.

In practice the block of ice to be converted into cubes is placed on theconveyor rolls 2 and these will feed it slowly against and past the saws26 and 32. Both gangs of saws are reciprocated at high speed and whenthe block of ice comes against the saws 26 of the vertical gang, theadvancing end of the block will be formed into vertical slabs which willenter between the vertical tongues 49 and come against the saws 32 ofthe horizontal gang. These horizontal saws will then cut transverselythrough the slabs of ice, tongues 49 acting as reinforcements to preventthe slabs from being broken off by the horizontal saws. The ice willpass from between the horizontal saws in the form of angular tongueseach of which is so proportioned that it can freely enter one of thecells in the grid 41. The tongues will be advanced through thesecellsand come against the fiat surface of the rotating disk 60. At thistime the flying circular saw 64 which is rotating at a high speed, willbe swept transversely through the protruding ice tongues, cutting a cubefrom each of them.

In order-that there may be no interference with the continued advance ofthe ice without interruption during this cutting operation by saw 64,the cams 51 and 58 are so shaped as to permit saw 64 and disk 60 toadvance with the ice during the cutting operation but immediatelyfollowing the cutting operation, when saw 64 has passed away from grid41, the cams will cooperate to return disk 60 and saw 64 into theirinitial planes of movement so that the saw will first engage the iceclose to grid 41 preparatory to again advancing with the ice during theseverance of the cubes. 7

It will be noted that the various parts of this mechanism are so timedthat the operation of feeding the ice will be continuous, the cuttingofi of the cubes in no way interfering with the movement of the block ofice within the machine. Furthermore the rotation of the disk 60 is sotimed that the saw will begin to cut through the ice tongues as soon assaid tongues protrude the proper distance from the grid.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine for forming ice cubes from a cake of ice, a disk havinga fiat face mounted for continuous rotation and for axial reciprocation,a circular saw spaced from the flat face of the disk but movabletherewith and eccentrically mounted thereon, means carried by the diskfor rotating the saw about its individual axis while moving with thedisk, means for feeding a cake of ice continuously toward the disk,means for dividing the advancing end of said cake into tongues, thediameter of the saw being greater than the height of that end of thecake of ice advancing toward the disk, means for rotating the disk tofeed the saw intermittently across the advancing end of the cake, andyielding means for urging the disk and saw in the direction of movementof the cake while being out.

2. In a machine for forming ice cubes from a cake of ice, a disk havinga flat face mounted for continuous rotation and for axial reciprocation,a circular saw eccentrically mounted on and rotatable relative to thedisk and spaced therefrom to provide a cube receiving space, said sawhaving a fiat face, means for feeding a cake of ice continuously towardthe disk and saw along lines parallel with their axes of rotation,yielding means for urging the disk and saw axially in the direction ofmovement of the cake of ice, means for rotating the disk to sweep therotating saw through the adjacent end portion of the cake of ice, andmeans for positively shifting the disk and saw in a direction oppositeto the direction of movement of the cake of ice while the saw is out ofengagement with said cake.

3. In a machine for forming ice cubes from a cake of ice, a disk havinga fiat face mounted for continuous rotation and for axial reciprocation,a circular saw eccentrically mounted on and rotatable relative to thedisk and spaced therefrom to provide a cube receiving space, said sawhaving a fiat face, means for feeding a cake of ice continuously towardthe disk and saw along lines parallel with their axes of rotation,yielding means for urging the disk and saw axially in the direction ofmovement of the cake of ice, means for rotating the disk to sweep therotating saw through the adjacent end portion of the cake of ice, andcooperating cams controlled by the rotation of the disk for positivelyshifting the disk and saw opposite to the direction of movement of thecake of ice while the saw is out of engagement with the cake and forcontrolling the advance of the disk and saw under the action of theyielding means.

4. In a machine for forming ice cubes from a cake of ice, a disk mountedfor continuous rotation, a flying circular saw spaced from andeccentrically mounted on the disk, that face of the saw farthest removedfrom the disk, being flat, means for rotating the saw about itsindividual axis independently of the disk, means for feeding a cake ofice toward the disk and into the path of the saw, means for dividing theadvancing end of the cake of ice into spaced tongues, means for rotatingthe disk to sweep the revolving saw transversely through all of thetongues, yielding means for urging the disk and saw axially in thedirection of movement of the advancing cake during the cuttingoperation, and cooperating means controlled by the rotation of the diskfor positively returning the disk and saw to their initial positionsfollowing the cutting operation and for controlling the advance of thedisk and saw under the action of said yielding means.

5. In a machine for forming ice cubes, a grid, means for feeding a cakeof ice toward the grid, means for cutting into the advancing end of thecake of ice to form tongues movable into and beyond the grid, a diskhaving a flat face, a flying circular saw spaced from and eccentricallymounted on the disk and having a fiat face, means carried by the diskfor rotating the saw about its axis, means for rotating the disk tosweep the saw across and close to the grid, thereby to sever tongues ofice projecting from the grid, yielding means for urging the disk and sawaxially in the direction of movement of the advancing cake of ice duringthe cutting operation and cooperating means controlled by the rotation,of the disk for positively moving the disk and saw axially to theirinitial positions following the cutting operation and for controllingthe advance of the disk and saw under the action of said yielding means.

6. In a machine for forming ice: cubes from a cake of ice, a disk havinga flat face mounted for continuous rotation and for axial reciprocation,a circular saw spaced from the fiat face of the disk but movabletherewith, and eccentrically mounted thereon, means carried by the diskfor rotating the saw about its individual axis While moving with thedisk, means for feeding a cake of ice continuously toward the disk,

means for dividing the advancing end of said cake into tongues, thediameter of the saw being greater than the height of that end of thecake of ice advancing toward the disk, and means for rotating the diskto feed the saw intermitently across the advancing end of the cake.

EVERETT E. FOWLER.

